Taco Salad Recipe

Tacos aren’t reserved for Tuesdays, although we love a good mid-week crunchy taco or taco dip. This hearty taco salad recipe is perfect any day of the week. Whether you’re enjoying dinner at home or need a passing dish, we know you’ll love this recipe. Crisp romaine and seasoned beef are all topped with corn, tomatoes, black beans, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno, and avocado.

Then just to take this salad over the top, add a generous drizzle of creamy chipotle dressing. It’s cool and spicy, bringing all the flavors together. Bring this taco salad to your next potluck or picnic, or serve as a main course with appetizers of chips, guacamole, and homemade mango salsa.

How to Make Our Taco Salad Recipe

Ingredients

Beef

Dressing

Assembly

Process

1. In a small bowl, stir together taco seasoning and water to form a paste.
2. Place a large pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and ground beef, using a wooden spoon to break the beef up into small pieces. Cook until beef has just browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the paste into the pan and stir into beef. Continue to stir until beef is evenly seasoned and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to slightly cool.

3. In a food processor, combine all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste as needed.
4. In a large salad bowl, combine romaine, chips, and 1/2 dressing. Toss together until evenly coated.

5. Add corn, tomatoes, black beans, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno, and avocado. Drizzle with remaining dressing and toss together. Serve.

Why Romaine Lettuce is Our Pick for Taco Salad

Romaine is our favorite lettuce for taco salad (and any salad that has a lot of hearty ingredients added to it). The crisp crunch and heavy-duty texture help it stand up to add-ins like beef, beans, tomatoes, and avocado. It also has a higher nutritional value being a leafy green.

Iceberg lettuce is most commonly used in taco salad recipes, and while it works, the lack of flavor and nutrients make it our second choice.

More Great Lettuce/Cabbage Options for Our Taco Salad Recipe

If you want to try other lettuce options for your taco salad, feel free to swap half or all of the romaine with any of the following:

• Spinach: adds more tenderness to the salad while increasing the nutrients like vitamin C and magnesium.
• Kale: chopped kale leaves add a heartier and chewier texture while also adding some bitterness that goes well with the chipotle dressing.
• Cabbage: add a handful of shredded green or purple cabbage for some extra crunch and a burst of peppery flavor.
• Butter lettuce: we love butter lettuce for our chicken lettuce wraps, but they also add a nice soft texture and mild taste to taco salad!

Tips for the BEST Taco Salad!

• Make it easier! Use prewashed and chopped lettuce, swap avocado for premade guac (that’s always fresh), use store-bought dressing, and swap the diced tomatoes for packaged pico de gallo to save time and effort making this taco salad.
• Crumble the beef as you cook it. Small pieces of ground beef help make sure each bite has a little bit of flavorful, tender taco meat!
• If you’re making this for a potluck or crowd, double the recipe and keep the dressing, avocado, and tortilla chips separate until just before serving! You can also serve this “taco bar style” with all the toppings on the side.

Substitutions and Variations

• Swap the ground beef. Use ground turkey, ground chicken, or even tofu in place of the ground beef.
• Swap the dressing. If you don’t want to make the creamy chipotle dressing, you could also use a storebought ranch, southwest ranch, or even a dollop of sour cream and salsa.
• Make the dressing dairy-free. Instead of sour cream, use a dairy-free plain yogurt for the creamy chipotle dressing. (And skip the cheese or use vegan cheese for a completely non-dairy taco salad).
• Make it vegan: Use tofu or vegan beef crumbles instead of ground beef, skip the cheese, and use a dairy-free dressing or the substitute above for dairy-free creamy chipotle dressing.
• Make a layered salad. Instead of mixing everything into a large bowl, layer all of the ingredients into a glass mixing bowl, giving it a fun presentation!
• Swap the cheese. We use shredded cheddar cheese, but feel free to swap this with cotija, queso fresco, Pepperjack, Monterrey Jack,
• Add some crunch. For an extra texture boost, top the salad with pepitas, corn nuts, or diced jicama.

Prep Ahead and Storing Instructions

To make meal assembly as easy as possible, go ahead and prep the beef, romaine, and dressing ahead of time.

• Beef. Cook and season the beef, then let cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before assembling.
• Romaine. Wash, dry, and chop the romaine leaves. Store in an airtight container with a paper towel to help absorb moisture for 1-3 days before assembling.
• Dressing. Make the dressing as directed. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

If you want to store leftovers of this salad, only add the dressing to the salad that’s being eaten, as it will cause the lettuce to become soggy if it’s stored together. Store the dressing and salad separately in the refrigerator.

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